Notre-Dame. Carpenter, architect… they worked on its construction site and will sing for its reopening

Last winter, on the doors of the Algeco from the Notre-Dame construction site, small posters appeared: “Formation of a choir: who wants to join us?” The answer is simple: apparently a lot of people, since finally The Choir of the Companions of Notre-Dame, as the group is called, now brings together 78 amateur singers, practicing all possible trades: logistician, carpenter, architect, stonemason, electrician worker … “And yet, we received more than a hundred positive responses! But some were not able to realize their desire for various reasons of schedule”, says Stéphanie Duchêne, chemist at the Laboratory of Research of Historical Monuments, who studied the traces of polychromy on the Gothic portals of Notre-Dame. She is behind the initiative with her colleague Dorothée Chaoui-Derieux, heritage curator at the regional archaeology service of Île-de-France, and who has been coordinating the excavations in the cathedral for five years.

“This idea of ​​getting everyone to sing is great,” enthuses painting restorer Marie Parant, who is taking part in the choir, “because we will soon be dispersing, at the beginning of December, after the cathedral reopens. This construction site has been exceptional for this cohabitation of professions. Usually, we intervene one after the other, in work phases, and we hardly cross paths.” And then, there was the shared awareness of having lived together “five incredible years,” adds Stéphanie Duchêne: “We wanted to both mark this inevitable moment of farewell and also prolong this special atmosphere of the construction site.”

After consultation with Mgr Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the cathedral, it was agreed that the choir would sing the Hymn by Jean Racine, composed by Gabriel Fauré. It will be performed on December 11, during the mass reserved for donors. A guarantee of quality, the rehearsals are conducted under the direction of two professional musicians: Frédéric Pineau, choirmaster of the Sorbonne, accompanied by Joël Soichez on the piano.

“And we have decided to all wear a companion’s jacket on which will be embroidered the design of the new rooster that adorns the spire of Notre-Dame. It will be colored by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, echoing the clergy’s clothing that he designed,” explains Stéphanie Duchêne.

To finance this project, the choir even launched an online kitty. Indeed, the cost of the outfit should not discourage some of the singers. “We hope that singing together will allow us to solidify and continue the bonds we have forged throughout these five years,” concludes the scientist.